Hemp Vadim

Hemp Vadim

Biography

2023: Extradition to the US

On July 14, 2023, the US Department of Justice announced that Estonia had extradited Russian Vadim Konoschenka to the United States. He is suspected of smuggling dual-use technology and American-made ammunition bypassing sanctions, as well as money laundering.

According to the case file, Konoshchenok, a citizen of the Russian Federation, has connections with the FSB of Russia. He is allegedly involved in a scheme to purchase American advanced electronics and sophisticated testing equipment. The materials also include the companies Sernia Engineering and Sertal, which are based in Moscow and "operate under the leadership of Russian special services." Some of the technologies in question can be used in the development of nuclear and hypersonic weapons, quantum computing systems and other military solutions, the US Department of Justice said.

The agency claims that the Sernia network received a license to conduct especially secret and secret purchases from the FSB of Russia, while Konoshchenok presented himself as an FSB colonel in electronic messages and attached his photo in the appropriate form.

As indicated in the indictment, Estonia was a transshipment point from where Konoshchenok transported American-born goods across the border to Russia. On October 27, 2022, a man was detained by the Estonian authorities while trying to cross the border with about 35 different types of semiconductor and electronic components, including export-controlled products. It is said that Konoschenok used the Estonian shell company Stonebridge Resources and often communicated with accomplices on the search, transportation and payment of goods. His fee was allegedly 10% of the order amount. If the man's guilt is proven, he faces up to 30 years in prison.^[1]

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